Background

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common preventable and treatable disease characterized by persistent airflow limitation that is usually progressive. The characteristic symptoms of COPD are chronic and progressive dyspnea, cough, and sputum production. Breathing exercises aim to reduce hyperinflation, improve respiratory muscle performance, and reduce dyspnea.

Aim

The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of breathing exercises among patients with stable COPD in improvement of pulmonary function parameters, 6-min walk distance, and dyspnea score.

Patients and methods

Randomized controlled design was used in this study. Patients recruited for this study were enrolled from the outpatient clinic of Department of Chest Diseases and Tuberculosis. Overall, 15 patients with stable COPD were enrolled in pulmonary rehabilitation group and underwent breathing exercises for 12 weeks. Moreover, 15 patients were enrolled in the control group. Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS version 20) software was used for statistical analysis.

Results

In the breathing exercise group, there was a significant increase in the mean forced expiratory volume in first second (P=0.001), forced vital capacity (P=0.001), and inspiratory capacity (P=0.015). There was a significant decrease in the mean functional residual capacity (P=0.005), residual volume (P=0.001), and total lung capacity (P=0.001). There was no significant difference between the values of the previous parameters in the control group.

Conclusion

In stable COPD, breathing exercises improved pulmonary function parameters, 6-min walk distance, and dyspnea score.